Operation Albion

Operation Albion
	Part of World War I
	; Operation Albion amphibious operations 10–20 October
Date	29 September-20 October 1917
Location	Baltic Sea58°30′N 23°0′E / 58.500°N 23.000°E
Result	German victory
Belligerents
German Empire	Russian Republic; United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Oskar von Hutier; Hugo von Kathen; Ludwig von Estorff; Ehrhard Schmidt	Mikhail Bakhirev; Vasily Altvater
Strength
1 Battlecruiser; 10 Dreadnought battleships; 9 Light cruiser; 1 Mine cruisers; 50 Torpedo boats; 6 U-boats; 19 Transport ships; 6 airships; 102 combat aircraft; 24,500 Soldiers; 8500 Horses; 2400 Vehicles; 150 Machine guns; 54 Guns; 12 Mortars and ammunition	2 Pre-dreadnought battleships; 2 Cruiser; 1 Protected cruiser; 3 Gunboats; 21 Destroyers; 3 submarines; about 24,000 soldiers
Casualties and losses
1 Torpedo boat destroyed; 7 Minesweepers destroyed; 9 Trawlers and auxiliary vessels destroyed; Many ships damaged by mines; 5 aircraft shot down; 156 Dead and 60 wounded (Navy); 54 Killed and 141 wounded (Army)	Battleship Slava destroyed; Destroyer Grom destroyed; Submarine HMS C32 destroyed; 20,130 men captured; 141 Guns (47 heavy) lost; 130 Machine guns lost; 40 aircraft lost

Panorama of the Tagalaht Bay, Saaremaa, Estonia. This was the location of the German landing on 11 October 1917.

Operation Albion was the German land and naval operation in September–October 1917 to invade and occupy the West Estonian Archipelago, then part of the Autonomous Governorate of Estonia, Russian Republic. The land campaign opened with landings at the Tagalaht, Saaremaa on 11 October 1917, after extensive naval activity to clear mines and subdue coastal artillery batteries. The Germans secured the island by 16 October. The Russian Army evacuated Muhu on 18 October.

After two failed attempts, the Germans managed to land on Hiiumaa on the 19th and captured the island on the following day. The Russian Baltic Fleet had to withdraw from the Suur Strait after major losses (see Battle of Moon Sound). The Germans claimed 20,000 prisoners and 100 guns captured during the Operation Albion from 12 October.

Strategic significance

At the beginning of World War I the islands were of little importance to either Imperial Russia or Germany. However, after the revolutionary turmoil in Russia during 1917, the German high command believed capturing the islands would outflank Russian defences and lay St. Petersburg vulnerable to attack.^[1]

Order of battle

German units

42nd Division
2nd Infanterie Cyclist Brigade
Sonderverband (Special Task force): "Vizeadmiral' Ehrhard Schmidt
- Flagship: Moltke
- III. Geschwader: Vizeadmiral Paul Behncke in command of dreadnought battleships König, Bayern, Grosser Kurfürst, Markgraf, and Kronprinz
- IV. Geschwader: Vizeadmiral Wilhelm Souchon in command of dreadnought battleships Kaiser, Friedrich der Grosse, Kaiserin, Prinzregent Luitpold, and König Albert
- II. Aufklärungsgruppe: Konteradmiral Ludwig von Reuter in command of cruisers Königsberg, Karlsruhe, Danzig, Frankfurt, and Nürnberg
- VI. Aufklärungsgruppe: Konteradmiral Albert Hopman in command of cruisers Kolberg, Strassburg, Augsburg, Nautilus, and Blitz
- Torpedoboats Flagship: Emden
- II Flottille (10 boats)
- VIII Flottille (11 boats)
- VI Flottille (11 boats)
- X Flottille (11 boats)
- 7th Half-Flottille (7 boats)
- U-Flottille Kurland (6 boats)
- Sperrbrechergruppe.
- II Minesweeper Flottille
  - 3rd Half-Flottille
  - 4th Half-Flottille
  - 8th Half-Flottille
- 3rd Such-Half-Flottille
- Such-Flottille of the Baltic
- Netbarrier Unit of the Baltic

Russian units^[2]

425th, 426th and 472nd Infantry Regiments
Battleships: Tsesarevich, Slava
Armored cruiser: Admiral Makarov
Destroyers: Desna, Novik, Pobeditel, Zabijaka, Grom, Konstantin
Gunboats: Chivinetz, Grozyashchi
Blockship: Lavwija
Minelayer: Pripyat

British units

Submarines: HMS C26, HMS C27, HMS C32

References

Notes

^ Barrett (2008), p8
^ Operation Albion: The Attack On The Baltic Islands

Bibliography

Barrett, Michael B. Operation Albion: The German Conquest of the Baltic Islands. Indiana University Press: Bloomington, IN. 2008. ISBN 978-0-253-34969-9

External links

[1] Barrett (2008), p8

[2] Operation Albion: The Attack On The Baltic Islands

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